English Translation for Councilors and Council Employees

The request was successful.

Dear Tower Hamlets Borough Council,

I've become aware of the cost of translation services that are made available to not only our local authority employees from English to another language and also vice-verse, but also to our local elected council representatives.

Please could you list the detailed services available for language translation to both employees and councilors, the cost of each of those services, the amount of employees who need these services to be able to keep up with their jobs, the amount of Councillors who need these services for the execution of their duties and finally the distinctions between costs for councilors and employees, including also any cost benefit analysis that has been taken out regarding these services.

This data should also include the amount of requests from councilors and employees for the acquisition of these services.

Finally is it a requirement of this council that potential employees and/or councilors should be able to speak, write and communicate effectively in English?

Yours faithfully,

Muhammed Iqbal

Louis N Priest, Tower Hamlets Borough Council

Dear Sir/Madam

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

Thank you for your email.

Your request is being considered and if the information is held you will
receive the information requested within the statutory timescale of 20
working days as defined by the Freedom of Information Act 2000, subject to
the information not being exempt.

If the time taken to meet your request is likely to exceed 18 hours, we
will contact you and ask you amend your request to bring it below this
time limit. We will assist you with suggestions of how this might be
achieved.

I may also contact you if the request needs to be clarified; this is to
ensure that we provide you with the information you require.

Please note that some information you have requested may not be provided
to you; this will only be information that can be withheld by law.  In
most cases the reasons will be explained to you along with your copy of
any information that can be released to you.

Yours faithfully,

Mr Louis Priest

 

Tel No : 0207 364 2143

 

Corporate Complaints Admin Officer

 

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

6th Floor

Mulberry Place

East India Dock Complex

London

E14  2BG

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Abdul Hai left an annotation ()

I am not a big fan of the council but do you have any supporting evidence? I thought all council employees and councilors had to speak English.

Muhammed Iqbal left an annotation ()

Hi Abdul,

I thought the same as well, thats why i ask the question at the end of the FOI. I have been informed that this is a situation the council would rather us not know about as the cost is in the high figures, and i would imagine that they will refuse in some way to answer officially or use some other form of obfuscating tactic to dilute or destroy any credible answer.

Jane L Jones, Tower Hamlets Borough Council

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 -

 

Your request for information has been considered under the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and the information can be found at.

 

[1]http://www.towerhamletsfoi.org.uk/docume...

 

You can  also  search our Disclosure Log for any specific topics of
interest

 

[2]http://towerhamletsfoi.org.uk/disclosure...

 

Complete our Customer Satisfaction Survey

 

Tower Hamlets is committed to giving you the best possible service. It is
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If you have any queries please get in touch with me to discuss them.  You
might like to know that the Council’s website [4]www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
contains a section on the Freedom of Information Act that lists other
publications readily available from the Council under its Publication
Scheme.

 

Yours faithfully

 

 

 

 

Jane Jones

Information Governance Administrative Officer

Legal Services

6th Floor

Mulberry Place

London E14 2BG

0207 364 4736

[5][email address]

 

Most of the information we provide in response to Freedom of Information
Act 2000 request will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases
the copyright will be owned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The
copyright in other information may be owned by another person or
organization as indicated in the information itself.

 

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for
example, publishing the information or issuing copies to the public will
require the permission of the copyright holder.

 

For information where the copyright is owned by the London Borough of
Tower Hamlets, details of the conditions of re-use can be found on our
website at [6]www.towerhamlets.gov.uk.

 

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organization, you must apply to the copyright holder to obtain their
permission.

 

If you unhappy with this response or wish to complain about any aspect of
the handling of this request please write to:

 

Corporate Complaints Unit

Tower Hamlets Town Hall

Mulberry Place

5 Clove Crescent

London E14 2BG

 

If you are subsequently not satisfied with the Council’s response to your
complaint you have a right of appeal to the independent Information
Commissioner at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 700

[7]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

 

Further information about the operation of the act is available from the
council’s website [8]www.towerhamlets.gov.uk and the information leaflet
in public reception areas in Council buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

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References

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1. http://www.towerhamletsfoi.org.uk/docume...
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http://towerhamletsfoi.org.uk/disclosure...
3. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rw...
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rw...
4. http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
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6. http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
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7. http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
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8. http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
9. http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
10. mailto:[Tower Hamlets Borough Council request email]

Tim Rodgers, Tower Hamlets Borough Council

Dear Mr Iqbal,
 
Further to your request dated 20 February 2012, I can confirm that
translation services are only used for providing services to residents,
rather than for either staff or Councillors.  There is no stipulation in
our employment terms and conditions that English is a requirement, however
given our robust recruitment processes it would be unlikely that anyone
would be offered a position without a suitable level of written and
conversational English.
 
Thanks,
Tim Rodgers
Deputy Complaints and Information Manager
 
Legal Services
Chief Executives Department
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Phone: 0207 364 4354
[mobile number]
Fax: 0207 364 4804
E-mail: [1][email address]
Website: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
6th Floor, Town Hall, 5 Mulberry Place,
London E14 2BG
 

Most of the information we provide in response to Freedom of Information
Act 2000 request will be subject to copyright protection. In most cases
the copyright will be owned by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The
copyright in other information may be owned by another person or
organization as indicated in the information itself.

 

You are free to use any information supplied for your own use, including
for non-commercial research purposes. The information may also be used for
the purposes of news reporting. However, any other type of re-use, for
example, publishing the information or issuing copies to the public will
require the permission of the copyright holder.

 

For information where the copyright is owned by the London Borough of
Tower Hamlets, details of the conditions of re-use can be found on our
website at [2]www.towerhamlets.gov.uk.

 

For information where the copyright is owned by another person or
organization, you must apply to the copyright holder to obtain their
permission.

 

If you unhappy with this response or wish to complain about any aspect of
the handling of this request please write to:

 

Corporate Complaints Unit

Tower Hamlets Town Hall

Mulberry Place

5 Clove Crescent

London E14 2BG

 

If you are subsequently not satisfied with the Council’s response to your
complaint you have a right of appeal to the independent Information
Commissioner at:

 

Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 700

[3]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

 

Further information about the operation of the act is available from the
council’s website [4]www.towerhamlets.gov.uk and the information leaflet
in public reception areas in Council buildings.

show quoted sections

Please consider your environmental responsibility: Before printing this
e-mail or any other document , ask yourself whether you need a hard copy.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
3. http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
4. http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
5. http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/
6. mailto:[Tower Hamlets Borough Council request email]

Hugh Barnard left an annotation ()

Hi folks
I love this bit:

"however given our robust recruitment processes it would be unlikely that anyone would be offered a position without a suitable level of written and
conversational English"

These presumably are the 'robust recruitment procedures' used for some of the mayors 'advisors'. And judging by the emails I receive some of the written English is execrable. So 'unlikely' is the weasel word of the day.

Thank you both for taking a constructive interest in our fair borough!